Maria Samson was sitting at home watching the 2010 women’s World Cup of rugby on TV when she was struck by a thought.

She was just as good as any of the players Team Canada had on the field.

“I had a few teammates who went to the World Cup or who had almost gotten to the World Cup and it was kind of at that point where I thought ‘I think I can compete with these girls,’ ” said the transplanted Calgarian by way of Montreal. “Up until then it had just been a social sport. I played provincials with the aspirations to play for Canada.

“At the end of 2010, I said, ‘I think I can go to the next World Cup.’ That’s when I really started focusing on it.”

Funny what can happen when someone sets their mind on a goal. At an awards banquet a year ago, Samson was named the women’s 2012 rugby player of the year in Canada.

Now, she’s gunning for a spot on Canada’s 2014 World Cup team, which will go to Paris for the big dance Aug. 1-17.

“It was a complete shock, to be honest,” Samson said of the award. “When we went to nationals, I scored double the amount of trys as anybody in the tournament. I just had a wicked tournament. It was amazing. That was probably the big instigator for that award.”

The process of determining Canada’s World Cup roster is already underway. Samson is joining 41 other hopefuls on Vancouver Island this week as the squad prepares for pair of test matches against the U.S. April 15 and April 19 in Victoria. Samson, who has played rugby at the club level all over Canada — including with the Calgary Saints and Calgary Hornets, isn’t taking anything for granted. She plans to work as hard as possible.

“No selection is guaranteed and I think the coaches are very clear about that,” she said. “I was player of the year in 2012, which obviously gives me a little bit of confidence, to be named the best player in Canada. But I had a severe bout of injuries last year, so I’m kind of still rebuilding.

“This will be, I think, the first camp in a long time that I’ll be going in quasi-healthy.”

The 31-year-old spent much of 2013 going from injury to injury as she had shoulder surgery twice and tore her hamstring. It isn’t easy being in the trenches and absorbing the physical play.

But nothing has come easy for Samson, who, just six years ago — at the age many of her national team mates are right now — she was playing Division 2 club level ball.

“In 2008, I was not even a provincial player,” she explained. “I tried out for the provincial team, travelled with them and didn’t even put on the jersey to play a game.”

In fact, she wasn’t even really thinking about rugby in an elite way.

“I think it was more lack of focus before, rather than just focusing on club level,” she said. “I had played rugby all over Canada because I was a co-op student in university. So I played in Fort McMurray, Windsor, Ontario; I did a stint in Calgary and I’m from Montreal.

“Rugby was one of those social things where you go to a place and you join the rugby team.”

Indeed. While in Fort McMurray, she met her husband Mozac Samson, who is an aspiring national sevens player in Rugby Canada’s men’s program.

But soon after came the 2010 World Cup. And her focus on competitive rugby grew intense. Training time is now two hours a day (not including mobility and rehab work) on top of her full-time job as a commercial adviser at Imperial Oil.

All of it would be worth it if she is chosen to Team Canada for the World Cup.

IN THE SCRUM . . . Expect Canada to pare down its World Cup roster following an exhibition tour to New Zealand in June . . . Calgary’s Sammy Crandell (Hornets) and Lethbridge’s Ashley Steacy — the sister-in-law of Olympic hammer throw competitor James Steacy — are the only other Albertans in the running to be on the team . . . Canada’s World Cup schedule was announced on Monday — the Red and White will play Spain on Aug. 1, Samoa on Aug. 5 and England on Aug. 9 with the semifinals set for Aug. 13 and the final on Aug. 17 . . . Canmore’s Adam McQueen had two conversions and two penalties on Monday for Canada’s U-20 team in their opening game of the IRB Junior World Trophy in Hong Kong on Monday, but they were upset 37-25 by Namibia. Calgary’s Ben Lesage was in the starting lineup for the Canucks, who will try and regroup in their second game of the event on Friday vs. Uruguay . . . Canada’s senior men’s team will play USA on June 21 in Sacramento, Calif. to close out the IRB Pacific Nations Cup, it was announced Wednesday. The tourney opener against Japan in Burnaby, B.C. on June 7 was previously announced.

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Local rugby star Samson aims for spot on Team Canada for this summer’s World Cup

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